McCummings upbeat about position change with UConn

Chris Elsberry

Published 11:44 pm, Saturday, August 3, 2013

STORRS -- Toward the end of practice, quarterback Chandler Whitmer dropped back, looked to his right and fired a bullet about 15 yards down field where No. 11 in a white jersey looked the ball into his chest, caught it, spun to his left and faked out cornerback Obi Melifonwu, drawing some praise from his teammates on the sidelines.

Now, for those scoring at home, No. 11 was Scott McCummings. The same Scott McCummings who spent last season working in UConn's offense as the Wildcat quarterback.

But that was then. This is now.

As the Huskies opened fall practice Friday afternoon, McCummings was not working out with the quarterbacks. Instead, the redshirt junior was taking reps at receiver, where it is hoped -- especially by head coach Paul Pasqualoni -- that the 6-foot-2 McCummings can make something happen at his new position.

"We just felt that Scottie is a very good athlete and we want to do something to try and utilize him more," Pasqualoni said after practice. "So, I want to see him out there for a good, solid period of time. Just to see if there's any chance that he can help us out there."

And while Pasqualoni said the reason for the move is partly because the Huskies are dividing reps among five other quarterbacks this fall, it is also because McCummings came into camp badly overweight and needs to get in better shape.

Listed at 257 pounds on the UConn website, McCummings played at 224 last season scrambling around the Wildcat, rushing 39 times for 132 yards, a 3.4-yard average. He was the second leading rushing on the team behind tailback Lyle McCombs.

"He's got to drop some weight," Pasqualoni said. "He's really put on a little weight. We've got to get a few pounds off of Scottie."

So when McCummings and Pasqualoni sat down on Thursday to discuss his options, receiver quickly became an obvious choice.

"We discussed a couple of positions, possibilities for me, and we decided on receiver," McCummings said. "It's a win-win. I'm getting in a lot better shape being at receiver than at quarterback and I still get to touch the ball, so I'm slowly being integrated into it. We're seeing how it goes.

"There are tons of quarterbacks so I knew that reps would be hard to come by, but I just want to play for the team. I want to do whatever I can to help the team out."

It is unknown why McCummings did not come to fall camp in decent shape. But the signs of trouble were brewing back in the spring, when he was listed at 240 pounds on the roster, causing one assistant coach to say in the spring that McCummings' next position would be "on the offensive line" if he kept gaining weight.

What the move does is give McCummings a month to get in better condition, especially through running the various pass routes in the playbook. It will help that he already is familiar with the plays and the formations.

"He knows all that stuff, so it made sense for us to get him out there," Pasqualoni said. "And plus, it'll give him a chance to do a little more running, burn up a few more calories.

"I'm excited about it. He can catch the ball. He caught the ball pretty good (Friday). I didn't see him drop one today."

But is McCummings excited?

"He is. He really is," Pasqualoni said. "He wants to help the team, so this may give him a chance to get more plays over the course of the game. He's not `out' of anything; we as a staff are just trying to utilize everything we've got."

Facing the media after practice, McCummings put on a brave face and tried to look at the positives.

"I just want to make the best of it," he said. "I'm learning how to run better. I'm learning how to get open better. If I do happen to move back to quarterback, I'll be able to improve my open-field running. I'm just trying to make the most out of the situation."

Especially when he's never played receiver before.

"Not even in Pop Warner," McCummings said. "I'm trying to think from a receiver mindset. I have to ask the coaches about the things I don't understand. It's hard to grasp but at the same time, it's been fun."